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Mon, 19 Mar 2018 01:10:01 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4http://talknerdywithus.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kX0dL2KQ_400x400-125x125.jpgNew Releases – TalkNerdyWithUshttp://talknerdywithus.com
323237600393Book Review: Sin With Me by J.A. Huss and Johnathan McClainhttp://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/16/book-review-sin-with-me-by-j-a-huss-and-johnathan-mcclain/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/16/book-review-sin-with-me-by-j-a-huss-and-johnathan-mcclain/#respondFri, 16 Mar 2018 15:33:28 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=76627Maddie’s and Tyler’s lives might have never crossed before, but they still ended up at the same place: rock bottom. When Sin With Me begins, that’s where we find both of them, even though rock bottom is slightly different for each of them.

The story is told in alternating point-of-views, allowing readers to get to see inside both Tyler and Maddie’s heads and understand where they are coming from. Internal monologues can sometimes be hard to include in a book, especially if they are too long or hard to follow. However, authors J.A. Huss and Johnathan McClain write these monologues in a realistic way that it makes for an easy read.

The book starts with Maddie stripping in Las Vegas, in order to make ends meet while she tries to make her next business idea a reality. Tyler is experiencing extreme PTSD after having just returned from deployment overseas; Tyler’s last mission before being discharged cost the rest of his troop their lives. Now, he lives with guilt over how the whole situation was handled, which causes him to have horrible nightmares each night. There is, however, one frequent dream that is not painful: it features an angel, a beautiful girl with flowing red hair and fairy wings, who is trying to save him. But he can’t figure out who is “angel” is.

Tyler gets dragged to a strip club one night by friends, very reluctantly. As he was about to leave, he looks up and sees the girl he has been dreaming of, right there on the stage dressed like an angel. Turns out the angel he was dreaming about was Maddie, despite having never met her before this night.

It did take me a little bit of time to become invested in the story and the characters, but once these two finally met, I found myself hooked and wanting them to share time together on each page. The chemistry of these two characters is explosive from the beginning. Even though their connection might be met with a little bit of reluctance on Maddie’s side at first, neither one of them can deny the raw emotions and electric passion that consume them when they’re together.

There are three more books to come within the next couple of weeks, as Huss and McClain have taken a “binge-model” approach to releasing this series. I think this is a genius idea and one I hope more authors will start to use this release plan for series. From Sin With Me, we only have a few hints as to what might be coming for Maddie and Tyler’s story, so I’m glad I won’t have to wait to see what’s in store for them.

Official Synopsis:

Two broken people in a city fueled by sin.

Maddie Clayton isn’t looking to be saved. She knows the only person you can count on is yourself. Her moral compass might not point true North these days–but at least she’s still standing.

The military taught Tyler Bell about loyalty. Being there for your brothers is the only thing that matters–but when it mattered most, he wasn’t.

She’s got a ticket straight to Hell. He’s already been there and back.

She needs to win. He just needs to stop fighting.

Some sins scar your soul so deeply, you’ll never be the same.

But this Devil in disguise might just be the angel he needs to forgive himself.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/16/book-review-sin-with-me-by-j-a-huss-and-johnathan-mcclain/feed/076627Image Comics Has New Comics For 2018http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/06/image-comics-has-new-comics-for-2018/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/06/image-comics-has-new-comics-for-2018/#respondTue, 06 Mar 2018 16:00:30 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=76496Hey Guys! It’s Carey and I’m back again with all your comic updates. Recently, Image Comics released news about their upcoming line. Here are my top picks of what you guys need to know.

Crowded, by Christopher Sebela, Ted Brandt, Ro Stein and Triona Farrell will feature a fictional app called Reaper that allows anyone to crowd fund assassination attempts. The protagonist, Charlie Ellison, will face down waves of hit men with his less than perfect bodyguard. This series will be out this summer.

Annie Wu introduced her new book Dead Guy Fan Club. This story will follow fans of a fallen rock star into adulthood as they investigate the death of their idol. This sounds interesting and would make for a god show in the same vein as TBS’s Search Party. You can grab your copy this fall.

Sam Humphries (Nightwing & Green Lantern) and Jen Bartel have teamed up to create Blackbird, a fantasy story that Image depicts as HarryPotter meets Riverdale. This series will be released from Image Comics in October 2018.

Image will be releasing J. H. Williams and Haden Blackman’s Echolandslater this year. It tells the story of a young thief who must escape a vengeful wizard in order to save a world that has forgotten its own history.

The Last Siege is a medieval war story told in the style of a spaghetti western. Landry Q. Walker and Justin Greenwood bring this series to life this summer. Greenwood said, “I’d been looking for a book to really cut loose on and this project came along at the perfect time. I haven’t drawn this much dirt and blood in a long time and loving every minute of it.”

Image Comics has a plethora of new and old titles coming out this year. Look out for a sequel to this list. Catch you next time.

If you are looking for an example of the perfect Victorian romance, you need go no further than Lisa Kleypas’Hello Stranger. It has everything: a strong independent heroine, a rough but good hearted hero, a twisty plot, a setting that comes alive, and a heavy dose of wit and charm. Even though this book is the 4th book in the author’s Ravenels series, you can jump right in and enjoy this wild ride.

Garrett Gibson is the only female doctor in England. She is committed to helping the poor and makes nightly visits to a workhouse in a rough area of London. Unbeknownst to her, former police detective turned spy Ethan Ransom has been following her, keeping an attentive eye on her safety. Ethan and Garrett have met before, while aiding other members of the Ravenel and Winterborne families. In fact, Ethan is a member of the Ravenel family, although born on the other side of the blanket. Ethan hates his Ravenel connections, because of how they treated his mother, but Garrett remains friends with members of the clan; in fact she works works for Lady Helen’s husband in one of Winterborne’s clinics.

On this particular night, Ethan and Garrett collide when Garrett is attacked by three unsavory men as she walks home from her workhouse rounds. Although Garrett make short work of two of her attackers, Ethan swoops in and helps her take out the third. The two strike up an unlikely friendship, with Garrett seeing something deeper in Ethan’s cynical, dark manner and Ethan being impressed with her determination, will and capabilities. Although Ethan tries his best to keep Garrett out of his complicated life, the two are drawn together repeatedly by a fate that can’t be denied.

Ethan offers to train Garrett in the art of hand to hand combat, and Garrett jumps at the chance. It’s a pretty steamy sequence without any overt sex, and surprisingly offers some really great advice for women who may find themselves attacked. Ethan and Garrett also share a magical night on the town, after which Ethan tries to disentangle himself from her, knowing he’s putting her in danger. Unfortunately it’s too late; Ethan’s boss, spymaster Sir Jasper Jankyn, has found out about his feelings for Garrett, and uses her as a pawn to keep Ethan in line. For indeed, Ethan’s loyalties are divided; although he owes Sir Jasper gratitude for taking him in and training him, he knows the old man is involved in a treasonous plot against the government.

As their story unfolds, we get glimpses into the past of both Garrett and Ethan. This serves to make them knowable, relatable characters. In fact, Kleypas based Garrett on real-life London physician Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who was the country’s first and only licensed female doctor in the nation in 1873. Ethan has the requisite tragic backstory – and it’s very tragic – but you’re able to see how it shaped him and helped him develop certain skill sets. The other characters are way more than names on the page; I loved Garrett’s father, a retired constable who has always been supportive of his only daughter. He’s got quite the wicked wit too. I loved meeting the Winterbournes and the Ravenels; I realise most of them have appeared in other books, but Kleypas doesn’t rely on any past knowledge of them to make them fully fleshed for readers new to the series. I especially loved West Ravenel, the former rake turned farmer (I actually hope his story is the next one told).

The fast-paced plot keeps you turning pages. Not one aspect is put aside to play up another; the spy plot is equally as important as the relationship. It’s not a mere conveyance to bring our hero and heroine together. The sex is beautifully (and hotly) described, but it’s also funny at times. Garrett is a doctor after all, and not unschooled in the human body. “Your trapezius and deltoids are remarkable,” she says dreamily. That’s a line I’m going to have to try out one of these days!

There’s also a lot of social commentary as Garrett is an advocate for the poor and for women. She often shocks patients with her forthright descriptions of their health needs, which male doctors tend to dismiss or tell the women to ignore or hide. She gets into trouble for telling a woman with 12 children about birth control, and she’s also not shy about telling Ethan about the manner of birth control she uses. Ethan often breaks the law to see that justice is served, especially amongst the highborn, saying, “The law doesn’t always work when it comes to men like that.”

The historical background isn’t mere set dressing. We learn about Dr. Joseph Lister, whose antiseptic practices revolutionized surgery in preventing infections. (The mouthwash Listerine is named after him.) We learn about early blood transfusions; from Ethan we learn the evolution of locks and safes. Even farming techniques are added to the mix. We get to take a ride on the Necropolis Railway, a private train used to transport the dead throughout England.

I’m sure you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed Hello Stranger, and I even went back and purchased the rest of the Ravenel series. Kleypas is a gifted writer, a master of her genre, and I looked forward to reading more of her work!

You can purchase her novels wherever fine books are sold. Remember Kleypas’ motto, “A well read woman is a dangerous creature.”

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/04/book-review-hello-stranger-by-lisa-kleypas/feed/076453Book Review: “Hiding Out: A Memoir of Drugs, Deception and Double Lives” by Tina Alexis Allenhttp://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/01/book-review-hiding-out-a-memoir-of-drugs-deception-and-double-lives-by-tina-alexis-allen/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/01/book-review-hiding-out-a-memoir-of-drugs-deception-and-double-lives-by-tina-alexis-allen/#respondThu, 01 Mar 2018 14:00:43 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=76381Many of us at one point or another will consider our families dysfunctional; some of us in jest and some with deadly seriousness. I can almost bet, though, that there are few that can compare to actress Tina Alexis Allen’s family, as she reveals in her new memoir, Hiding Out: A Memoir of Drugs, Deception, And Double Lives. Tina was forged in fire, under pressure to hide things about herself and particular members of her huge family for far too long. With this book, Tina sheds the last vestiges of lies, secrets and guilt.

Tina was the thirteenth child born to Anne Allen and John Worthington. By all outward appearances, the family was the perfect Catholic clan; lots of children, all named after saints, parents who were actually knighted into the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Pius XII. Sir John ran a hugely successful Washington, D.C. travel agency that ran pilgrimages for the poor and sick. Mom raised the kids, occasionally helping out with the family business. Tina herself was a sports star, later attending the University of Maryland on a basketball scholarship. Under all of this veneer of respectability, several things were going horribly wrong.

Tina suffered ongoing molestations at the hands of her two older brothers. Because her father suspected her attraction to women, he decided to share his world shattering secret with her: he too is gay. Her father drew her into his world of partying, alcohol and sneaking around to gay clubs. Tina found she didn’t bear just the burden of her own secrets; she aided her father in his deceptions as well. While attending college on a basketball scholarship, fighting for a place on her school team and managing secrets of her own, Tina grappled with the complicated mess her life had become. Add in some Washingtonian politics, mixed with suspected Vatican espionage, and you have a story you can’t put down.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. Tina scrubs her soul clean within its pages, uncovering and exposing the web of lies her young adulthood had become. She does not mince words or dance around her subject matter. While she assures you in the book’s introduction that she is okay, that she survived and all is good, the reader will be amazed at Tina’s resilience and what she endured. There is disturbing subject matter here – incest, an elementary aged child in a relationship with a teacher, and wild, drunken escapades with a shameless father who seemed to have no boundaries when it came to his youngest daughter.

Tina Alexis Allen

What is great about this book, though, is through it all, despite it all, you see the unyielding love and respect Tina had for both her parents. We feel deeply for her mother, a woman who bore and raised thirteen children and always put them before herself. Tina believes she is a saint, a genuinely loving and spiritual being. Tina is even respectful of her brothers, and sometimes her sisters, despite them not bestowing the same consideration on her while growing up. Tina even remains loyal to her father’s memory, viewing him as flawed and complex, yet acknowledging the good he did through his travel agency.

Tina is also her own success story; after becoming enamoured with the fashion world after college, she went on to earn an MBA and worked as a fashion executive in NYC. At 31, she went into acting, and landed the role of Shurn on WGN’s hit series Outsiders. She is also the co-founder, with her long time partner, of Gina Raphaela Jewelry, which “merges art, fashion, and social consciousness.”

Tina’s writing style is straightforward and to the point. She is able to deftly portray a time in her life and in American culture (the 80’s) as well as varying places and cultures around the world. We get an intimate glimpse into what it was like to be gay during that subversive and decadent time period. Reader, you will feel like Tina is talking directly to you; one of her goals was to encourage others to speak up and out, feel empowered to tell their own stories. Tina Alexis Allen succeeds on all levels with this memoir you definitely will not forget.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/03/01/book-review-hiding-out-a-memoir-of-drugs-deception-and-double-lives-by-tina-alexis-allen/feed/076381Book Review: “Smooth Talking Cowboy” by Maisey Yateshttp://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/28/book-review-smooth-talking-cowboy-by-maisey-yates/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/28/book-review-smooth-talking-cowboy-by-maisey-yates/#respondWed, 28 Feb 2018 14:00:44 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=76260Olivia Logan has a reputation of being Golden Valley’s sweetheart and she certainly would never get wrapped up in something even slightly scandalous. So when she’s spotted out on the town with Luke Hollister, who has quite the reputation, especially in regards to women, no one knows quite what to think. Olivia, however, is determined to win back her ex-boyfriend, Bennett, and making him jealous is sure to make him realize she is the right woman for him. Luke is happy to play along, as the deal also works in his favor; he’s got an eye on a piece of property that is owned by Olivia’s father and he needs her to talk him up. Neither one of them expected their fake courtship to be anything other than that.

Smooth Talking Cowboy was my first Maisey Yates book and I really enjoyed it. I was drawn to the storyline, as the fake relationship trope is one of my favorites. And I always enjoy a steamy romance novel. So I was pleasantly surprised to see it was also about: learning how to let love in, letting go of everything you once believed you wanted and embracing the love you have always been looking for.

Yates did a really great job at making Olivia and Luke’s relationship one you want to root for. While it is apparent to readers from the first time we see them on the page together that their chemistry is off the charts, they have this underlying connection that stems from knowing each other for almost a decade. Their relationship wasn’t solely love/lust at first sight, which was a welcome surprise.

I also really enjoyed Luke’s character. I found myself flipping through the book to see how many pages until I got to the next Luke scene on more than one occasion. Besides being a smoking hot cowboy, he’s gruff, antagonizing and standoffish, yet still lets parts of him be seen without realizing it. He was honest to a fault, but you always knew what he was feeling. Despite having a rough family life as a child, he was able to remain loyal to his friends, who he saw as his “chosen” family. He went so far as to deny his attraction to Olivia for years, because he felt like she deserved better than him. However, the thing I enjoyed most about Luke is that he always knew the right time to say the most swoon-worthy things.

“You’re not just a pretty girl. There are millions of pretty girls. But there is only one of you and you have had me, had my heart, for a hell of a long time.”

Seriously, any Luke Hollister copy cats out there? I’m single.

Overall, I recommend this book to any romance lovers out there. I’m going to keep reading Maisey Yates’ novels, especially as this was the first in a new series and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Official Synopsis:

Olivia Logan has a plan: win back her ex by making him see what he’s missing. But first she needs to find a man who’s willing to play along. With his laid-back cowboy charm and knack for getting under her skin, Luke Hollister is an unlikely hero—but he wants her help convincing her father to sell him land, which means he needs her as much as she needs him.

Luke likes his life—and his women—uncomplicated. So why does good girl Olivia heat his blood like no one else? She’s always been off-limits, but the more time they spend as Gold Valley’s hottest new “couple,” the more real it’s starting to feel. Luke was supposed to help her win back another man… not keep her in his arms. But now that he has her there, he’s not sure he’ll ever let go.

A copy of this book was provided by Harlequin Books in exchange for an honest review.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/28/book-review-smooth-talking-cowboy-by-maisey-yates/feed/076260Book Review: “Fatal Chaos” By Marie Forcehttp://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/27/book-review-fatal-chaos-by-marie-force/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/27/book-review-fatal-chaos-by-marie-force/#respondTue, 27 Feb 2018 15:00:37 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=76282Fatal Chaos is the thirteenth book in the Fatal series by Marie Force. Despite never having read any other books in the series, I found it very easy to jump right in and enjoy the characters and the plot. Force does a great job of filling in any blanks as succinctly as possible.

The novel finds Samantha Holland (Sam), a Washington, D.C. police lieutenant, and her husband ,Vice President Nick Cappuano, embroiled in the chaos of the title — there’s a serious number of drive by shootings holding the city in fear as the pair also copes with the very real possibility of Nick being thrust into a presidency he does not want. They are still dealing with the scandal surrounding the attempts on their lives and the lives of their loved ones by the President’s son. Throw in a bachelor party, a child who doesn’t want to go to school, and friends dealing with relationship issues, it’s going to be a long hot week in September for the couple.

The action pulls you right into the story from the very start. Pages will turn as readers race along with Sam to stop the drive by shootings and find the perpetrators before anyone else gets hurt. The victims range in age from 6 to 40 and include a pregnant woman. Force does a great job of building empathy for the victims and their families; you become as angry and as frustrated as Sam does at the killings. Whether or not this is your first time with these characters, Force does a great job making one feel as if they actually know these people. I especially liked Sam’s partner, Freddie Cruz (the recipient of the bachelor party). Nick is a little less well developed; he seems nothing more than hunky window dressing, and we’re constantly reminded how handsome and hot he is by every female he encounters.

Nick’s storyline is also weak; all he does is moan and whine about how much he doesn’t want to be president. Even the president, David Nelson, tells him he might get more done for the country if he were ever in his office! He doesn’t get many scenes of his own, and when he is on the page, I found myself frustrated with the interruption of the murder mystery. Sam is really the star of the book, and there’s nothing she can’t do. She gets beaten, pushed, punched, injured in a car accident and she comes through with her toughness intact ready to get back on the job, She would be a Mary Sue, if she weren’t so hard as to be almost unlikeable. There’s a subplot in the book (carried over from other books in the series) about Sam assaulting another officer and the causes and effects of that move, and we also get a parallel incident in this novel.

The sex in the book is incredibly steamy almost to the point of being pornographic. The first two sex scenes do help establish the depth of the relationship between Sam and Nick. The third just served to slow down the book. There’s a fourth sex scene between secondary characters we barely hear anything about prior to their hookup, which is completely unnecessary as it serves no purpose in terms of plot or character. The scene is also problematic, because the female of the duo says no quite a few times, and the male character verbally harrasses and cajoles her into having sex anyway. “You know you really want it” is not a line I want to be hearing in the day and age of #metoo.

I also had a problem with the ending and the “justice” served up to the killers. Their motives were lame, and the two accomplices are full of “he made me do it.” These two are supposed to gain our sympathy while highlighting the depravity of the main killer. There were a lot of victims, including a child and pregnant woman, and if ‘you’re the one holding the gun, how about shooting the mastermind instead of the innocents? Also, two of the killers rape a woman, for motives unknown, and one of those men cop to “he made me do it,” which I found to be insufficient justification as well as repugnant. I wished Sam would have been far less sympathetic to any of them.

Overall, this is a quick read and an overall page turner, despite the few hiccups. As a romance, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the majority of the mystery elements. I suspect long time fans of the novel will not be disappointed at all with Force’s latest offering.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/27/book-review-fatal-chaos-by-marie-force/feed/076282Book Review: The Dating Debate by Chris Cannonhttp://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/16/book-review-the-dating-debate-by-chris-cannon/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/16/book-review-the-dating-debate-by-chris-cannon/#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 20:04:29 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=76144The Dating Debatetells the story of Nina and West. Nina unapologetically loves books, embraces her hippy side, hates all of the holidays and speaks her mind. West is the hottie next door who keeps to himself a lot due to his mother’s illness, and, like Nina, always has his nose in a book. After West saves Nina from an awful date by saying they’re going to the Valentine’s Day dance together, Nina insists that they have to stick to the story they created. What starts as a relationship of convenience ends as a relationship between two people who needed love in their lives and found it with each other

This book was good, but it wasn’t the most amazing thing I have read recently. Maybe I just had too-high of hopes, as the cute cover and official synopsis immediately pulled me in.

I felt like Cannon’s eighth novel lacked steady pacing. On the one hand, I felt like nothing plot-wise really happened with this relationship until more than halfway through the book. It made for a slow read that had to really work to keep my attention. But on the other hand, this meant that the second half of the book felt a little rushed.

I also felt like the characters needed to be fleshed out a little more. Nina is supposed to be a hippy, book-loving nerd. But there was never an instance that showed any real “hippy” behavior and the only book she ever mentions is Harry Potter. West is supposed to be this hottie who just happens to live next door, and while he is exactly that, he’s never referred to as quiet or as an introvert, which is the main words I would use to describe him. These characters ended up coming off two-dimensional and not well-rounded and relatable.

I did, however, really appreciate the mental health discussion that Cannon included as part of West’s family background. I didn’t realize that West’s carefully constructed secret was going to become such a heavy topic. While the discussion wasn’t perfect, it added a missing piece to a larger conversation that is non-existent in a lot of YA literature.

I would recommend this book to people who like YA novels, but not as one you immediately have to go out and buy for a fear of missing out.

Official Synopsis:

Nina Barnes thinks Valentine’s Day should be optional. That way single people like her wouldn’t be subjected to kissy Cupids all over the place. That is, until her mom moves them next door to the brooding hottie of Greenbrier High, West Smith. He’s funny, looks amazing in a black leather jacket, and he’s fluent in Harry Potter, but she’s not sure he’s boyfriend material.

West isn’t sure what to make of Nina. She’s cute and loves to read as much as he does, but she seems to need to debate everything and she has a pathological insistence on telling the truth. And West doesn’t exactly know how to handle that, since his entire life is a carefully constructed secret. Dating the girl next door could be a ton of fun, but only if Nina never finds out the truth about his home life. It’s one secret that could bring them together or rip them apart.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book is not for anyone who has to get in the last word, but it is for all book nerds, especially those who live next door to so called unapproachable gorgeous guys. There’s no debating the chemistry.

The Belles, just like its title implies, is beautiful. This was author Dhonielle Clayton‘s first foray into YA fantasy, with her two previous co-written novels, Shiny Broken Pieces and Tiny Pretty Things, being YA contemporaries.

There has been a lot of build-up for this novel and I was one of the lucky ones who received an Advance Reading Copy last year. I have been waiting on pins and needles to post a review for it upon the book’s release.

The Belles follows Camellia Beauregard, one of the titular “Belles,” in a world where everyone is born with gray skin and hair and bright red eyes, the Belles are the sole people who can make everyone beautiful… for a price. Camellia grew up believing she would be chosen as the favorite of the Belles, meaning she would solely work for the royal family. It soon becomes apparent that being the favorite is not what she grew up imagining it would be. Court is full of intrigue, backstabbing, and Camellia is no longer sure who she can trust.

Dhonielle has said that The Belles was inspired by the way she saw the “commodification of women’s body parts” growing up. She wanted to write a commentary on the beauty standards placed on people and The Belles does exactly that. That does not mean the book is a preachy message dressed up in a pretty cover (but boy is that cover pretty). The Belles is a beautifully built world that engages the reader’s imagination.

My only complaint with the book is that the plot really does not pick up until about 100 pages in. Everything before that is world building and character set-up. We learn about Orleans and what the Belles are and get little hints of the plot, but things don’t kick off until a quarter of the way into the book. However, those 100 pages are so enjoyable, you almost don’t notice. Every sentence is beautifully constructed, and the world is built in such magnificent ways that you don’t mind just reading about the setting. I know that I now want a miniature elephant.

Dhonielle does a good job of showing that beauty comes in all kinds of variations. Even though Camellia is supposed to create perfect people, she is often at odds with her clients by telling them their imperfections are what makes them unique and beautiful. Of course, Camellia receives a lot of pushback for such sentiments, but it is an important thing for our young girls to read right now.

Dhonielle Clayton and information about The Belles and her other books can be found on her website, Twitter, and Instagram. She is currently on a book tour, the dates of which can be found below.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/06/book-reviews-the-belles-by-dhonielle-clayton/feed/075939Advance Review: Image Comic’s “Twisted Romance” Issue 3http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/01/advance-review-image-comics-twisted-romance-issue-3/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/01/advance-review-image-comics-twisted-romance-issue-3/#respondThu, 01 Feb 2018 20:38:00 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=75803Image Comics has been on a roll recently. The third issue of their Twisted Romance series is just as impressive as the previous two issues. The featured love stories in this issue are a bit more whimsical and somber than the last six stories.

First up is Invincible Heart by Alex De Campi and Carla Speed McNeil. De Campi does it again, bringing us a love story between a space captain and the rebel leader of the ground forces. McNeil’s artwork is refreshing for a black and white piece. It makes you focus more on what’s happening in each scene of this homoerotic thrill.

At first glance, this seems like a knockoff of any number of SyFy original movies, but De Campi sweeps us into a meeting of the minds with Justin and Black. This is a classic government versus the people argument. Justin has his orders, though the enigmatic Black is all he can think about. So what do you do when you start to fall in love with someone you’ve been charged with executing? You guys will have to pick up your copy to find out.

The prose story in this volume is The Last Minute by Jess Bradley. This story boasts all of the feels of a doomed love with all of the suspense of an alien invasion. Bradley presents Naomi Hansen and Daniel Cline in the first few paragraphs climbing an impenetrable tower. We later find out that these two have been preparing for months in order to stop alien creatures from continuing to ravage the planet.

Naomi’s determination to make a last stand has led Daniel to open his heart, even with their possible demise looming in the distance. Bradley delivers a romantic tale that’s sure to hit you right when you least expect it.

Olivia Lies, Pierced by Margaret Trauth is the second comic and last story in this volume. Trauth presents the Staisbridge Academy of Diplomacy, where all manner of anthropomorphized animals take lessons for combat and noble peacekeeping. Think Zootopia in space. Trauth shows Olivia Featherstone, a feline troublemaker and her friend Baron K, a mouse and heir to a space dynasty. These two get up to much mischief while discovering what they really mean to each other.

These stories are more lighthearted than we’ve seen in the previous issues; even the impending doom in The Last Minute. Image Comics has one more issue left in this series. I wonder what stories we’ll see in the finale.

You can purchase the digital edition from Amazon or subscribe to the print editions at Image Comics.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/01/advance-review-image-comics-twisted-romance-issue-3/feed/075803Advance Review: Image Comic’s “Twisted Romance” Issue 2http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/01/30/advance-review-image-comics-twisted-romance-issue-2/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/01/30/advance-review-image-comics-twisted-romance-issue-2/#respondTue, 30 Jan 2018 23:11:49 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=75731Have you missed me guys? Aww, that’s so sweet (please, God, let it be sweet). But we have business to attend to. I’m talking about Image Comic’s second issue of Twisted Romance. Just like the first issue, there are two comic stories and one narrative fiction piece.

The first comic is Twinkle & The Star, by Alex De Campi and Alejandra Gutiérrez. It features a burgeoning romance between an asexual celebrity and an overly conscious, full-figured woman. This is the type of love story you haven’t seen outside of fan fiction, but it’s certainly one that should be told. Representation is important, especially in mainstream media.

Gutiérrez’s art and De Campi’s dialogue-style make for a cute introduction to characters that aren’t always at the forefront of what audiences consume. This story should definitely continue.

Vita Ayala concentrates her efforts on love in the fiction piece, Back at Your Door. It features college student, Luz Lopez, and her intense crushes on fellow students Adrienne and Maddison. Luz has mixed feelings about her platonic relationships, but realizes some friendships should not cross that forbidden line. Or…maybe everything is in her head and she can have all she is looking for in a partner (or partners). No spoilers from me, you guys are going to have to read this one on your own.

The last comic is by Meredith McClaren entitled, Would You Even Know It? A nameless woman and her AI laptop have a discussion about the nature of love and whether it’s possible for the two of them to actually be “in love” with each other. I like that McClaren keeps both characters nameless. It makes you guess who is the true human. Or if it’s even humane to treat an artificial intelligence like a person.

We see a woman and a laptop, but neither of them operates under normal conditions for a laptop or a woman. Then again that view may come from my own bias, which I now realize may be McClaren’s point. The lines of attachment and romantic love are blurred as the woman and her laptop define her biological nature and the mechanics of the laptop. Each one coexists and co-depends on the other, but can there ever really be more?

What do you guys think?

You can purchase the digital edition from Amazon or subscribe to the print editions at Image Comics.